Chapter 11
AN: I don't own or gain anything concerning the characters or original plot.
Time to delve into the realms of sabotage and snow. Sorry it took a while to be written, and starts off rather slow... I have no excuse. Enjoy.
Easy read link: emsana . livejournal . com / 77102 . html
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The Burrow, December 1993
Dear Charlie,
We've been doing as you said and keeping an eye on our Keeper. Our legendary defeat of Hufflepuff last month seemed to really cheer him up a bit though so we reckon we're safe for now - although there's no telling what he'll do over Christmas --we've heard that the holiday season can increase the likelihood of suicide--. We're back at home for the festivities to keep an eye on Percy. --Well, it was that or put up with Ron complaining about how his girlfriend's cat keeps trying to kill Scabbers or something equally as deranged.-- He seems to be doing alright, we think. He spends most of the time in his room; when we asked him what he was up to he gave us an odd look and then muttered something about having a girlfriend and commitment. This only strengthened out --resin-- --resolution-- resolve to seek out the truth. Unfortunately, we've been having a few problems with that. Everytime we try and talk to him he gets all defensive, or someone else turns up, or Mum tells us to stop bothering him. Instead, we've decided to pursue our investigations when --he has nowhere to hide, and no-one to hide him-- we're back at Hogwarts.
We sent an owl to Wood though, as we were --worried-- mildly concerned. We just wrote about the last match, and the Team, and about where he's applying for next year. And --that we knew he was in love with Percy-- a few other things. He didn't write back.
It's getting a bit nippy around here, how's it at your end?
Fred and George
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Somewhere beneath several inches of frozen precipitation, December 1993
Dear Fred and George,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Give my best to Mum, Dad, Ginny, and Percy; tell them their presents are in the post --I'm having a few issues with customs--. I've already owled Ron and Bill so don't worry about that. Your gifts should reach you in a day or so... I think.
It's bloody cold up here, bit worried the hatchlings might get frostbite... their snouts are particularly vulnerable, especially as they're quite keen on sniffing around – it's their first snow though so let them have a mosey about. Despite a few issues with minor flash flooding (a spat between two Fireballs resulted in an entire drift melting earlier this week) we're all holding up quite well this year. We have a roof on the the centre, and we've put some charms where the windows should be as building access has been restricted by the altitude, and the dragons. We even had a snow-ball fight yesterday with some local girls when Florin and I popped down into the town to buy some milk. Before you tell Mum and she jumps all over this, you should know any even meagre possibility of me being even vaguely interested in them was cut short by our inability to communicate. I think Florin is ashamed that, despite having been here for nearly three years, I can still only say basic words, "I can't feel my toes", and "where is the burns department?" in Romanian.
I'm not even going to go into the mess that is your plan to out Percy to himself. I'll just say sally forth and noroc!
Charlie
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Hogwarts, January 1994
Dear Charlie,
Please, for the love of Merlin, never, ever send us presents again. Ever.
Also, when we told Mum that their gifts were delayed after she'd finished --rejoicing-- sulking she asked how you were so we told her about what you said about the snowball fight and the girls. She says she rues the day she bought you that toy Welsh Green. --We don't blame her.--
We'd --complain-- comment on your news and fire-breathers but we have some of our own. News, that is, not dragons. You see, despite being masters of mischief (even if we do say so ourselves) we'd been rather struggling to solve the dilemma of proving Percy's true feelings. After DADA one day, Professor Lupin asked us to stay behind. He said we'd been "distracted" more so than usual and asked if there was something he could help with. We were at our wits ends so we thought, why not? So we asked him "if you knew someone was in love with someone else, but didn't want to admit it to that person, or themselves, so started seeing someone else who liked them but they didn't really like how would you prove it?". He looked at us a bit blankly, sighed something about how duelling death-eaters would be less confusing, sat down, and asked us to explain it again. We decided to be incredibly clear so we put it in very simple terms: "if A likes B, and B likes A, but A is in denial, and so starts seeing C, who likes A, but who's really in love with B, how would you get A to be honest with B and C so that A, B, and C could all be happy. Except C, although at least A would have been honest with them." We think Lupin is a bit under the weather though as he really didn't seem to understand at all, and he's been looking a bit naff as of late. After a bit more explanation he said that the only thing he could think of was using veritaserum, then hastily insisted that he would never condone us using such methods. He obviously hasn't got to know us at all.
So, that's the idea. Now all we have to do is work out how to drug Percy without him realising and then somehow get him to tell the truth to us, Penelope, and Oliver without flushing his life down the toilet --again--. Should be easy enough.
Fred and George
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Bîrlad Hospital, January 1994
Dear Fred and George,
Tell Mum to stop complaining --and send me some money, I'm starving and these hospitals aren't cheap--. In case you are wondering why this letter is coming from an Institution of Health, don't panic. I'm only telling you this so Mum won't hate my job even more, but it wasn't even dragon related this time, I was startled --by a pigeon--, tripped over --my own feet-- some ill-placed object, and fell --down the stairs-- from a great height. I'm doing fine though and I only broke the one wrist so I can still write.
So you're planning on --poisoning-- drugging your own brother. Marvellous! If you do manage to get hold of some Veritaserum that is; short of stealing it from Snape's -- Personal Stash-- Potions Store you're going to be a bit hard done by. Or am I just giving you ideas now? Sometimes I wonder what became of my sanity... and I was so fond of it as well. As I seem to be sinking into the quagmire of deceit and subterfuge I'll let you know that Percy's favourite drink is tea, and he likes it black, which is fortunate as I've heard truth serums can react badly to lactose.
Oh Merlin, I'm evil.
Charlie